Process and apparatus for eliminating the sulphureted hydrogen in fuel gas



March 30 1926. l 1,578,560 Y F. W. SPERR.'JR PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELIMINATING THE 'SULPHURETED HYDROGEN IN FUEL GAS Filed June 6, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 grav/vento@ March 30 1926. F. W. SPERR, JR

.PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELIMINATING THE SULPHURETED HYDROGEN IN FUEL GAS Flled June 6 1924 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 SECTION-WFA.

Patented Mar. :'10,A 1926.'

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlc-E.

vImannmex W. sPEIm, JR., or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIoNoa To THE xoPPEns COMPANY, o P PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A coRPonATIoN or PENN- i SYLVANIA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELIMINATING THE SULPHURETED HYDROGEN IN FUEL GAS.

Application led .Tune 6,

To all whom it may o'ncem:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. SPERR, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in Pittsburgh, in. the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new `and useful Improvement in Processes and Apparatus Afor Eliminating the Sulphureted Hydrogen in FuelGas, of which the following is a specification.

rIfhis invention relates to processes and apparatus for the elimination of hydrogen sulphide from coal and like fuel gases, Yand particularly to the kind of purification described in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,390,037, Jacobson, and 1,389,980, Ramsburg, granted to The Koppers Company, wherein the gas is washed with a liquid (for example sodium carbonate solution) capable of absorbing the hydrogen sulphide, and the wash liquid regenerated by aerat/ipn. n

In the said prior process the hydrogen sul phide and other acid impurities are transferred from the gas to theairand in some instances it is not permissible to discharge the air'containing these impurities, -into the atmosphere, hence the present inventor has heretofore provided for treating the air in order to remove the sulphur therefrom.

chiefly by washing said air with a liquid containing an iron compound with which the sulphur can combine to form iron sulphide, as set forth in my copending application Ser. No. 521,913, filed. December 12, 1921. From the purely chemical standpoint the removalof the sulphur from the air offers but little difficulty but from the industrial and commercial standpoint the removal cheaply and eectiv'ely of the small traces of hydrogen sulphide from the large volume of air employed in the aeration operation is a very difficult problem. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a. solution of this problem.

The present inventor has found, however, that the natural iron oxide and artificial iron compounds he has previously employed for washing the air are relatively less active than is desirable, and even the precipitated I naterial prepared and stored for some time loses some of its effectiveness; and the inven- 1924. Serial No. 718,253.

cipitated iron compound, to eliminate the I hydrogen sulphide from said air, and in 'respect of such broad feature the present'application is a continuation in' part of applicants aforesaid copending application Ser. No. 521,913, filed December 12, 1921.

"Ihe freshly precipitated iron compound may be formed as a step iu the cycle of op erations of the process. although. in some instances it is preferable, as will -be seen hercinafter, to form the freshly precipitated compound'outside of the main process and add it to the air washing liquid.

The invention also consists in providing apparatus for. carrying out the process which comprises novel features as herein-- after pointed out. v

The invention further consists in such other new and useful improvements, and has for further objects such other operative advantages or results,vas may be found to ohtain in the processes and apparatus herein` after. described or'claimed.

In order 'that the invention may be understood, there will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred mode of carrying out the process and several a1'-v rangements of apparatus with which the process may be carried out.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a general elevational view of a complete plant for the elimination of hydrogen sulphide from coal gas.

Figurev 2 is a similar View of a modified plant in which the air washing is performed in astack or chimney.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are detail views show- Jing in plan, sectional elevation, and partial and sectional elevation respectively, a modified device for the removal of sulphur from the air washing liquid. An alternative structure is shown' correspondingly in Figures 6, 7 and 8.

In the several figures of these drawings similar reference numerals refer to corresponding parts..

In the specific instances now to be de the inlet 2, flows upwardly in countercur-j rent with the washing solution delivered through-a pipe 3, and is discharged at the outlet 4. In the scrubber 1 the -hydrogen sulphide is transferred to the solution which iiows from theV bottom of the scrubber through pipes 5 and a setof sprayers 6 into the top of the actifier 7. The' solution falls through the actifier 7 -to the bottom thereof' and flows oii through a pipe 8 into a sump 9 from which it is withdrawn by a pump 10 and pipe *11, and thence recirculated to the topof'the absorber. The solution traverses the actifier 7 downwardly in countercurrent with a stream of. air -supplied by a blower 12, whereby the alkaline solution is regenerated and the hydrogen sulphide transferred to the air. The air leaves the actifier bya pi-pe 13 vand is conuveyed. to the bottom of another large scrulfber or tower 14. In the scrubber 14 the. air is Washed with a liquid contamingan iron compound which isA capable of reacting with the hydrogen sulphide with formationofiron sulphide, preferably a dilute solution of sodium carbonate'containin the iron compound 1n suspension, as. iereinafter described. The Wash liquid is introduced at the top of the tower through a pipe 15 andl sprayer 16v and after traversing the scrubber downwardly it Hows ofi' through a pipe 18 into a sump 19. Clean air; is discharged at Q17." The liquid. in the sump 19, which has been partl regenerated., duringits passage through th scrubber, is now completely 4rel generated by means ofair jets `20which also v agitate the liquid and mechanically 'float the sulphur to the surface thereof from which it isreadily removed by skimming. Theregenerated liquid is withdrawn' through the through the scrubber 14. The 'sulphur recovered is dried in the centrifuge 28.

According to the present invention -ap-l -paratus is rovided-for maintaining a supply of fres ily precipitatediron compound vis effected outside fthe cycle'of operations of the vmain-process, la .second'feed tank 22 is provlded.- :In the first instance the tank' 21 contains a solution of a ferrie compound, preferably ferrie sulphate although .ferrie *chloridev (FeCls) may be used, which is a1 lowed to fiow into the sump- 19 to react with the wash liquid therein, which latter it i I lwill be understood, contains sodium carbonate. The following reaction occurs:

It isl probable that some basic ferricvcar-A bonate is also formed.

Ferrie carbonate Fe2(CO3)3 is thus precipitated and the washing liquid containing in suspension this freshly formed precipitate reacts with great effectiveness upon the sodium hydrosulphide NaHS formed in the liquid incidentally to the transfer thereto of the hydrogen sulphide from the iir in the scrubber. Thereaction is as folows:

' The iron sulphide Fe2S3 reacts' with the air forming iron oxide and' sulphur which latter'collects in th sump 19 and is recovered as previously' described.

Sufficient excess sodium carbonate-should be -added to, or maintained in, the system so that the additions of ferri'c sulphate will not destroy the alkalinity of the solution. It is desirable to maintain excess alkalinity equivalent to from 0-.5 to 2% N azCOS, although in certain cases, especially where high etl'iciency l 1s not especially desired, neutral solutions' hydroxide, sodium carbonate, magnesium oxide, etc. A solution of the ferrie compound (e. g. ferrie sulphate) vis placed in the tank 21 and suiicient of the solution from tank 22 is added, to precipitateall of the iron. The to .settle Vtothe the solution decanted oli through manifold connections 25. Water is then added to the tank 21 andthe contents agitated and added precipitate may be alloweu ottom of the tank 21 and' from time to. timeto the sump 19 as may be necessary. In thisway the bulk of the inert material (e. g. sodium sulphate) is disposed of. Filtration or other means of separating With either method of precipitation it is important to make the additions of the iron compound to the system regularly and systematically. In ractice, treating air produced in the purification of gas containing approximately 300 grains HzS per 100 cu. ft., the additions are made every hour putting intothe system 0.0075 pound FezO, equiv- "the precipitated material may be employed.

alent for each thousand cubic `feet `of air lKoppers Companys U. S. Patentl No. 1,478,-

543, Bird.

The-air washing may be carried out in an ordinary counterflow scrubber,.or in a mechanical scrubber for example of the Feld type, or as shown in Fig. 2, in a stack 26.

There is an advantage in having the final exit air piped off at some distance above the ground and a stack is usually employed in conjunction with these plants. It is a feature of the present invention that this stack or any other available stack can be used as the air scrubber, thus avoiding the expense of providing a separate apparatus. In some cases the stack may be filled with some form of'packing, but preferably the greater part of the stack is left empty,- a few rows of hurdles 27 being employed at intervals to obtain regular distribution of the solution.

In the modification lshown in Figure 3 of vthe drawings instead of a pipe with aseries of jets or nozzles 20, there is used, according toa further feature of the invention, for aerating and agitating the liquid in the sump 19 a device comprising plates of porous ceramic material in contact with the liquid .and under which compressed air -is forced.

Other porous material such as porous earthenware or alundum may be used.

held thereiapby cross-bars 41.'v The box is di-V vided intothree longitudinal sections by partitions 42. The top of the box is closed by porous plates 43 of the above mentioned character, and the level of the liquid in the sump is maintained above the plates as in dicated. Compressed air is introduced into the box by means of the manifolds 44 and pipes 20 serving all the sections of.the box, and the only lway of escape of the com'- pressed 'air is thr'ou h the'pores of the plates 43. A multitudeo very minute bubbles-is thereby forced upwards through the liquid in the sump'. In an alternative form shown in Figures 6,-7 and 8, the. partitions are metal channel-beams. v

This mo'de of aerationwith finely com1ninuted airis known as aplpliedto liquids in general, .and 'is claimed erein only Iin connection with the sulphided liquor regeneration`process of` the present invention, 1nv

" which itproduces va particularly eiective;re

generation of the lsump liquid and flotationA of the sulphur.

The liquid used for washing theair. in anv gf themodication's of the invention, is pref.

The `fuel gas vto be treated generally, con- 4talus -more or less tarry mat-ter which if washed with a suspension of iro-n compound becomes mixed with the iron oxide, iron sulphide," sulphur and other materials in suspension and clouds and Ifouls the washliquor and produces deposits that gum and clog the apparatus... So in the present invention the fuel gas is treated with a clear solution containing no material -in suspension, and then the absorbed hydrogen'sulphide is removed by aerating the solution with a very large volume of air (usually 'such volume that the hydrogen "sulphide content is not over 200 grains per cu. ft. of the carrier air), and then that air is treatedwith the wash-liquor containing the freshly precipitated iron compound as before described; and with the great excess of oxygen in such carrier air, and the active" freshly formed iron compound in the washliquor, the conditions are highly favorable for the elimination of the hydrogen sulphide and the rapid regeneration of the washliquor, with formation of sulphur, according tol the reactions 4that have been stated.

For the porous plates of the agtator il- Filtros has proved very satisfactory.

10:;v 'lustrated in Fig. 3 the material known as i' This material is a white, rigid, mineral substance composed of carefully selected nat" ural sand averaging 99.6% SiO2, graded by mechanical screens, and bonded y a synthetic silicate bonding'agent fusing at temperatures above 2000 F. The Filtros plates are porous, not cellular. yAs before4 noted, otherfporous material such as alundum plates may-also be used.

The invention 'as hereinabove- .set forth or exemplified maybe variously practiced or embodiedwithin the scope of the claims hereinafter made.`

vI claim:

1. A process of the kind referred` to fdr the elimination of hydrogen sulphide from coal gas. characterized. by washing the ai, after it has vac ted'inv the regeneration stage,

with a liquid containing a freshly precipi tated iron compound, to eliminate thel1ydrogen sulphide from ysaid air.

2..A process as claimed 1n clailnl, which theprecipltaton of the iron compound fdr 4 lao use in eliminating hydrogen sulphide from the air is effected as a step within the com-4 poundfor use in eliminating hydrogen sulpound is added to a feed tank containing an phide from the air'is effected in immediate' cooperation with the gas purification process.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1, in

whch 4the freshly precipitated iron com-A pound employed is aferric compound.l

5. A process as claimed in claim l1, 1n which the precipitation of the iron compound for usein eliminating hydrogen sulphide from the air is effected as a step within the complete cycle of the gas purification process and-in which a solution of a ferric compound is 'added to the liquid-employed in thev air washing stage, in orderto pre, cipitate the hydrogen sulphide-eliminating' iron compound in said liquid.

' 6. A process as claimed in claim 1, in which the precipitation of the iron compound for use in eliminating hydrogen sulphide from the air is effected as a @tcp within the complete cycle of the gas purification process and' in which a solution of a ferric compound is added to the llquid employed in the airlwashing stage, 1n order to- .precipitate the hydrogen sulphide eliminating iron compound in said liquid and in which an excess of alkali such as sodium carbonateis maintained in or added to the air washing liquid, sufficient to maintain alkalinity of the liquid notwithstanding the additions thereto of the ferrie compound.

7. A process as claimed inclaim 1', in'

which the precipitation of the iron .com-

pound for use in eliminatin'ghydrogen Sulphide from the air is effected in immediate cooperation with the gas purification process and in whlch a solution of a ferrlc com.

alkaline compound, and the resulting precipitated iron compound se arated from the solution and added to t eV air. Washing liquid.

.8. A process as claimed in claim 1, in which the addition of lfreshly precipitated iron compound to the air washing liquid is effected continuously or in measured quantities at regular intervals. i

9. A process as claimed in claim 1, in which the precipitation ofthe iron compound for luse infeliminating hydrogen sul- 'phide from the air is effected inV immediate cooperation with the gas purification process and 'in which a solution of a ferric compoundl is added to a feed tank-containing an alkaline compound, and, the resulting precipitated iron compound-separated from the solution and added .to the airv washing liquid and in which the separatio of. the freshly precipitated iron compoun from- 'the feed tank liquid is effected by settling which the washing of the air by the liquid containing freshly precipitated iron compound -is effected in a stack.

1'1. A process as claimed in claim 1, in which aeration of the air washing liquid to precipitate and mechanically fioat off' the sulphur is effected by blowing compressed air through porous material such as porous ceramic material, earthenware, alundum andthe like, in contact with the liquid.

12'. Apparatus for eliminating hydrogen sulphide from fuel gases comprising in combination, a gas scrubber, an actier for regenerating by aeration the gas washing liquid, means fory circulating the said liquid to and fro between the scrubber and actifier, f

an air scrubber receiving the fouled air from' the actifier, a circulation sump receiving the washing liquid from the air scrubber, means for aerating the liquid in the said sump, and a4 feed tank for introducing a chemical reagent into the sump.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, i

comprising two feed tanks associated with the sump of `the air scrubber, one of which which the air scrubber is a stack provided with spaced hurdles or the like.

15; Apparatus as claimed in'claim 12, in which the air scrubber sump is equipped with a bed of porous material such as porous ceramic material, earthenware, alundum and other porous material, and means' for blowing compressed air through said material into the liquid in-the sump.

hydrogen'sulphide from air, characterized that thehydrogen sulphide content is not over about 200 grains perl cu. ft. of the air, and washing the flowing current of such air with flowing wash-liquor containing a freshly precipitated iron compound having an aiinity for sulphur, and effecting by the intimate mutual Contact of such flowing air and wash-liquorboth the elimination of the hydrogen sulphide and theregeneration ofsaid `wash-liquor.

17. A-p rocess as claimed in claim 1. in which aeration of the air washing liquid to precipitate and mechanically float off the sulphur is effected by blowmg compressed air Athrough porous material, in contact with the liquid.' i

18. A process for treating a liquidjcon-1 taining iron .sulphide in suspension which comprises, introducing finely comminuted 16. A process for vthe elimination' of -by-having the carrier air'of such volume l air into a body of said liquid, by passing nir through porous material submerged in seid body of liquid, whereby iron sulphide is oxidizedV and free sulphur separated by dotation. l A

'19. A process for treating a liquid containingv iron sulphide in suspension which comprises, introducing finely comminutedy air intoaxbody of said liquid, .by passing said liquid over a series of porous members and forcing air through said porous members into the liquid, whereby iron .sulphide is oxidized and free sulphur separated by flotation. l 20. `A process ,for treating a liquid containing iron sulphide in suspension comprising, passing said liquid over a series of porous members and forclng a1r through said porous members into said liquid, where- 21. rIn the purification of gas, the combination ofrsteps which consists in: causing the hydrogen sulphide to react with a ferrie compound contained in liquid medium, forming a suspension of ferrie sulphide,

y ythe-ir enters the liquid as finely com- ,minuted air andoxidizesthe iron sulphideand floats ofi the sulphur as free sulphur.

then forcing) air through porous, material my hand.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto setA w FREDERICK SPERR, JR. g 

